1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus and method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image recording apparatus and method for use with a recording material which is unwound from a recording material roll for image forming.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
A photographic printer such as a printer-processor composite machine is well-known in the art of image forming, and used for producing a photographic print by printing of an image frame on photographic paper as recording material. The image frame is obtained by photoelectric reading from developed photo film, to obtain image data in a digital form. Otherwise, a memory card or other storage medium is used to input image data of the image frame. In the printer, illuminating light is modulated by a light valve according to the input image data, to print an image on the photographic paper. Then the photographic paper is processed photographically and dried, to produce the photographic print. It is possible in the printer to raise image quality by image processing of the image data, for example correction of color balance and sharpness.
To raise a speed of processing in the photographic printer, plural images are preferably printed at the same time. For example, JP-B 3114718 (corresponding to JP-A 11-282088) discloses this idea. For example, two images are printed by exposure on the photographic paper with a large area simultaneously. Then the photographic paper is slitted along a line extending in the feeding direction. Also, a recording sheet or a photographic paper sheet for one frame is shifted in a web width direction crosswise to the feeding direction. Two photographic paper sheets are arranged in the web width direction for image recording by exposure at the same time. Then two photographic prints can be produced at one time.
However, the photographic paper is likely to be offset or skew in the web width direction. The photographic paper may be cut without removal of the tilted orientation. It is likely that margins of the photographic print are irregular, or that a recording region inside the margins is broken by cutting. The photographic paper sheet must be shifted in the web width direction at one time for every two frames. Sufficient time is required for the shifting, and is inconsistent to improvement of the processing speed.
JP-A 11-095330 discloses loading of plural roll magazines arranged in the web width direction, each of the roll magazines containing a photographic paper roll. Also, JP-A 2001-056511 and EP-B 595 940 (corresponding to JP-A 6-510374) disclose a collective type of roll magazine for containing a plurality of photographic paper rolls. The photographic printer unwinds the photographic paper from those at the same time for the image recording. These techniques have objects of raising efficiency in operation of the printer.
In image forming by use of a plurality of photographic paper rolls, an operator of the photographic printer must set those in the roll magazine. Loading of the photographic paper having photosensitivity requires operation in a dark room or in an environment shielded from ambient light. Difficulties in the operation are very high. According to manners of setting the photographic paper, it is likely that a first photographic paper roll is used up at the same time as existence of a remaining portion of the photographic paper in a second photographic paper roll. This requires operation of exchange because of using up of only one of the first and second photographic paper rolls. However, a problem arises in considerable time for a user to take for the exchange. Of course, both of the first and second rolls can be replaced by new rolls when only the first is used up. However, the second photographic paper roll must be abandoned. This causes wasteful use of the photographic paper.
According to JP-A 11-095330, a plurality of roll magazines in the photographic printer are arranged in the web width direction. Thus, the printer must have a considerably large size, to raise the manufacturing cost. Also, the thickness of panels of the roll magazines and a structural feature of a section for loading of the roll magazines constitute factors inconsistent to reducing an interval between the first and second photographic paper rolls arranged in the web width direction. It is conceivable to raise a length of an exposure region, or to add a sorting device. However, the cost and size for installing the printer cannot be low.